Creatures of the Night
by DarkenedFantasy
Summary: Vincent Valentine is a member of the Turks, a force dedicated to hunting down and killing werewolves and vampires in Midgar. But when Vincent himself is infected with lycanthropy, will his protege be able to do her job and kill him? Vincent/Cissnei, AU
1. Prologue

**IluvAUs:** I'm alive! I'm finally back after a long hiatus. While I was 'slumbering in my coffin', I came up with a rather nice fanfic idea that I wanted to start on. **Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy Seven, or any of the characters or music therein. Understood? Now, let the tale begin!

Prologue

I looked across the warehouse, searching for my opponent. Her body was in shadow, but after a moment, I discovered her location from her eyes. The unnaturally bright eyes that were typical of a young vampire. I drew Cerberus out of its holster, and heard mocking laughter echo around the godforsaken place.

"You honestly think you can defeat me vith that leetle toy?" she taunted. "Darling, I'm a vampire! I'm immune to bullets and other sooch nonsense!"

I smirked. For once, I had the ace up my sleeve with this one. "Normal bullets, perhaps. But what about bullets coated with holy water? Are you certain you are safe from those?"

She stepped out of the shadows, the pale moonlight throwing her body into sharp relief. Her snow white skin glowed from the light, creating a great contrast with her bloodred hair, eyes, and attire. Her motions were astonishingly feline, and I was honestly surprised she didn't sink into a crouch.

"You're bluffing." she intoned.

I raised an eyebrow. "Am I? Can you really afford to take that risk? If I hit my mark, you will die."

She smirked. "Ve'll see about zat!"

Without further warning, she pounced, and I pulled the trigger. The force of the bullet stopped her in her tracks, causing her to collapse uncerimoniously to the ground. She was clutching the lower right side of her torso, where a small stream of stolen crimson was trickling between her fingers. Obviously, she had eaten before I arrived. Not only that, but where the bullet had pierced her skin, there was an angry burn mark and a small hiss as though acid had been poured into the wound. Shame I hadn't hit her heart. Things would have been so much easier for the both of us.

"You… bastard…" she whispered. "How dare you? How dare you?"

She made another more sloppy lunge, and I fired once again. This time, I did not miss. The bullet entered her chest and pierced her unbeating heart. She screamed in agony, and were she not in such extreme pain, she would have no doubt tried to attack me again.

" Absurd… to think that a hunter like you… could best Rosso the Crimson…" she murmured as she collapsed to the ground.

Rosso the Crimson, as she had called herself, was no longer among the undead. Now, she was just dead.

I pulled out a Fire materia. The remains would have to be burned in order to keep the infection from spreading to the animals. Rosso had evaded my capture before, but her pride was her weakness, and in the end, her downfall.

"May whatever god that exists have mercy on your soul." I muttered before activating the materia. As the former vampire burned, I took my leave. It was time to get back to headquarters.

**IluvAUs:** Well? How is it so far?


	2. Rookie

**IluvAUs: **I live! Sorry about the MAJOR hiatus on this fic. I know a ton of you were waiting for the next update for quite some time. My apologies. But school has been hell, and I've also been focusing on my YouTube videos and such. **Disclaimer:** I DO NOT OWN FINAL FANTASY VII OR THE CONCEPT OF WEREWOLVES AND VAMPIRES AND HUNTERS! Now, that should satisfy the lawyers, so that's enough out of me.

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Chapter One

Rookie

As soon as I got back to headquarters in central Midgar, I was met by Tseng, leader of the Turks, and my direct superior. He seemed pleased with my work tonight- or, at least, as pleased as he ever looked at any time.

"Excellent work, Vincent." Tseng congratulated. "Rosso has been a thorn in our side for a long time, even though she was a young one. I assume you destroyed all traces?"

I rolled my eyes. "Honestly, Tseng. You give me a job of importance, and you honestly think I'd forget to do something that basic? Of course the remains were burned. And no one saw the assassination or the pyre."

The Turk leader nodded. "That's what I needed to hear. Well done Vincent. You're one of the most dependable men I've got. Which is why I know I can count on you for this next assignment."

I raised an eyebrow. Another hunting? So soon? Why couldn't one of the others handle it? It's not that I don't enjoy the work, nothing gives me greater pleasure, but nonetheless, it seemed Tseng was relying a bit too heavily on me. I folowed him into the conference room, and was confronted with a rather unexpected sight.

There was a young woman standing in the center of the room. Though she was wearing a Turk uniform, I had never seen her around before. She had a rather child-like face, with wavy red hair descending to her shoulders. Her hazel eyes were soft as they gazed, but I could definitely see a glimmer of sharp insight behind them. She held a shuriken by her side- I assumed that was her weapon of choice- and was looking expectantly at Tseng.

"Vincent, this is Cissnei. She is our newest recruit- the first to have passed the training exams since the formation of the group. She has not been out in the field, and is very new to the organization here. I trust you will help her get acquainted with what she has to do, and help her on her first mission." Tseng stated, extending a hand towards her.

I looked back and forth between the two, unsure whether I was more shocked or outraged. "Wait. Let me get this straight. I come back from a successful job- one none of the others wanted, might I add- and as my reward, I get stuck babysitting a rookie with no experience in the field?"

Tseng laughed, and attempted to cover his smile. "I wouldn't use the term babysitting. She did very well in the training, and I've placed her in the care of the best we have to offer."

Cissnei aimed a glare in my direction. "Contrary to popular belief, Mr. Valentine, trainees actually do know what they're talking about. I just haven't had a chance to practically apply what I've learned. But I'm ready for this."

I looked back at Tseng. "Are you really sure about this? Tonight's another full moon night, and-"

"That's why I'm assigning you two to a team for a hunt. I know ordinarily it would be Reno's night to do the wolf hunting, but Cissnei needs the field experience, and quite frankly- you need to learn to work with others, Vincent."

Whatever witty retort I had planned died in my throat as Tseng finished that sentence. Okay. It was true that I preferred to work alone. But my results were unquestionable. Someone else tagging along could affect the quality of the work I did. And a rookie tagging along? I'd be lucky if I didn't get killed trying to keep her from doing something stupid. But Tseng insisted. And whatever the boss insists is what goes. I grumbled. "What's our mission?"

Tseng became all business at that point, dimming the lights in the room as a projector screen lowered down. "These pictures were in the Midgar Times this morning."

He showed a microfilm of the day's newspaper. The headline read 'Vicious Murders in Sector 5- Authorities Dumbfounded'. Below were pictures of ordinary civilians who were missing limbs that looked as if they had been brutally ripped from their bodies. I could see Cissnei cringing next to me at the horrific images. Lovely. I have to babysit a rookie who gets squeamish at the sight of blood. I looked back at the images, noticing the way the clothing seemed to be ripped by claws and teeth before stating what should have been rather obvious to all present. "This appears to be the work of a young lycan."

As Tseng nodded, Cissnei looked at me, confused. "Lycan?"

I glared at her. Honestly, didn't she learn anything? "Lycan. Short for Lycanthrope. Loup-garaoux. Werewolf. Call 'em what you want, they're all the same anyway. Vicious, brutal, bloodthirsty monsters."

Tseng cleared his throat, getting both of us back on topic. "Indeed it is. Good eye, Vincent. As usual. Now, this lycan may not have given us trouble in the past, but its actions are drawing attention from the authorities. You and Cissnei will track down the werewolf and destroy it before it can harm anymore townspeople. You know how difficult it is to do cover-up jobs in this town. Things could get really messy if the people know these things exist."

Cissnei and I nodded. We knew that the Turks had to remain a secret at all costs, as did the creatures we hunted down. If the people knew werewolves and vampires existed, it could very well be the end of our organization, as well as place countless lives in danger. Tseng dismissed us, and I walked to my apprentice. "You sure you're ready for this?"

She gave me the fiercest glare I'd yet seen from her. "Definitely."

And with that, we stepped out into the night.

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**IluvAUs: **Okay, people. Some reviews would be much appreciated.


	3. The Bite

**IluvAUs:** I LIIIIVVVVEEE! Again. Sorry- again- about the delays in updating this. Been inSANEly busy. Now, enjoy! Disclaimer: I own NADA!

Chapter Two

The Bite

It was not a night I would have chosen to hunt a lycan, even without a rookie tagging along. The moon was at its fullest tonight, so any lycans we encountered would have increased strength and agility. A cloud of low-lying fog clung to the ground, greatly reducing visibility. Clouds drifted across the moon, creating an even more unpredictable element: the lycan we were searching for would be constantly shifting forms as he fell in and out of the moonlight. In a way, it would make things easier, for it is far easier to harm a lycan in mid-transformation, but in a way, it would complicate matters: a seemingly normal person we asked about the lycan could shift into the lycan itself at any given moment.

I turned back to face my apprentice, and asked, "Are you sure you're ready for this mission? Once we take this lycan down, he or she will return to human form."

Cissnei nodded, her fiery locks bouncing with the motion. "Yeah. I've been training for this, haven't I? I'm ready."

"Let's hope you truly are prepared." I muttered, holding Cerberus at the ready.

Cissnei gasped, and I whipped my head towards her to see what the problem was. After a second, I knew: the lycan we sought had come after us. Even in the low-lying fog, it was impossible to mistake that huge, black shadow. I pointed Cerberus into the fog, and prepared to fire, but Cissnei made a yielding motion with her hand.

She knelt down into the fog, and I moved to stop her, but after a second, she replied, "It's okay. False alarm."

I grumbled, and lowered Cerberus slightly. "Neighbor's dog?"

Cissnei nodded again. "I'm sorry. It was big and black."

I nodded grudgingly. "Visibility is poor in this weather, but be more careful from now on. I almost shot the damned mutt because you reacted like it was a lycan."

Cissnei's cheeks flushed. "I'm sorry! Ugh, this is so embarassing… after all that training on distinguishing the two as well…"

I opened my mouth to reply, but an eerie howl rang through the night sky, silencing the both of us. I stepped forward quietly, and motioned for Cissnei to follow me. My eyes scanned the entire area, looking for any signs of motion. A twig snapped, and my head whirled to the right, Cissnei's close behind. I tuned in to the background noise much more closely now, and heard the sound of quiet, deep animal panting. The breathing was far too deep to come from a normal dog, or even a normal wolf.

"Get behind me." I hissed to Cissnei. "He's going to pounce us. When I say go, split up. Chances are he'll follow one of us."

"Okay. Afterwards, shoot at first opportunity, right?" she whispered back.

I nodded. At least she remembered this from training. We stood in silence for a moment or two.

"Steady…" I told my protégé. She was acting way too skittish on this mission. One false move and she would get us all ki-

"Look out!" she shouted, knocking me down to the ground just as the lycan soared over our heads.

Once I recovered from having the wind knocked out of me, I shoved Cissnei off of me, got up, brushed myself off, and gazed into the fog. From what I could see of the ambling, animal-like shadow, it was headed for the coast.

"Okay. It looks like the lycan's headed for the beach. Easy prey will be found there. Plenty of young couples walking the shore for the 'romantic' element. Now, what we need to do is-"

I looked to my side, and the red-haired rookie was no longer there.

"Cissnei?" I asked, looking around. After searching through the fog for a moment, I saw her running after the lycan towards the coast. "Cissnei!"

She gave no sign she had heard me, and continued running for the beach. I looked up at the sky, and cursed as I saw a heavy group of clouds slide over the moon. The lycan would change back the moment he was out of the moonlight. Cissnei was going to lose him in this fog. I sighed, made sure my gun was fully loaded, and chased after her.

It took about five minutes for me to get to the beach, but when I did, I saw my apprentice with her weapon drawn as if to attack the black-haired man in front of her, who I presumed to be the lycan we were chasing.

"Zack, you have to get out of here! You have to run! Or I'll need to-!" Cissnei was whimpering, a move I found very uncharacteristic of her. And not befitting of a Turk.

I walked up to her side, and asked, "Cissnei, is he the one?"

Cissnei looked at me, and nodded. "Yes."

"Well then? What are you waiting for? Do your duty."

Cissnei's hazel eyes widened. "Vincent, this man- he's one of my closest friends! I can't-! I just can't do it!"

My gaze narrowed. "Correction: He _was_ one of your closest friends. Whoever he was, he's become a lycan now. A monster. He's killed many people. You saw those pictures. You have no choice but to do what's right- kill him. You'll be putting him out of his misery."

The raven-haired man, Zack, nodded, his blue eyes shining through the darkness. "He… he's right Cissnei. I don't wanna hurt people, but I can't control myself like this… Please. Shoot me now before the clouds go away and I hurt you too. Please."

This Zack had a gift of prophecy, it seemed, for almost as soon as he finished that sentence, I saw the clouds drift away from the moon, bathing him in it's full light.

I should've fired Cerberus while he was transforming. I knew that was when he'd be the weakest, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I don't know whether it was the stricken look on my apprentice's face or just sheer disgust and horror that kept Cerberus holstered. It was… unpleasant to witness, to say the very least. Flesh tearing apart, bones forming, cracking, growing, reforming, and all that damned fur…

And then the creature, fully transformed, lunged at Cissnei. I couldn't let her get infected on the job, so I jumped in the way. The creature was upon me with feral madness, and it was difficult to tell how much of the pain I felt was merely from scratches, and how much could have been from… No… I dared not think that.

I emptied several rounds of ammunition into the beast before it finally began to return to its human form, a sure sign that it was dying.

"Zack…" Cissnei muttered quietly.

As soon as he was human enough to speak, he said, "It's okay, Cissnei. I'm… I'm not gonna be a problem any more… But I do have one favor for you. Could you please tell-"

I cut the creature off with one final shot to the head. Honestly. Why did these creatures always have to be so talkative as they died? My apprentice looked at me, shocked at the apparent lack of decorum, then gasped, indicating my shoulder. I looked, and to my horror, I saw what could only be a bite mark from the creature penetrating deep within my body.

My stomach dropped about five inches. My blood practically ran like ice in my veins, and for once, I could feel fear welling within me. I had been bitten. By now, the infection was already coursing through my veins. Perhaps if I could get to the others quickly enough, they could help me, try to fight off the infection… No. No, the moment they saw me bitten, they would shoot me. That was standard procedure, regardless of who the infected creature was. Within a month, I would be just another of the monsters I had once tried to kill. Now, there was only one option. I held Cerberus to my head, and pulled the trigger, prepared for the oblivion of death.

All that greeted me was an anticlimactic _click_. Damn it. I must have wasted all my bullets in killing the damn thing… Now there was only one thing I could do.

"Cissnei. You know what needs to be done." I stated calmly. "You have a gun loaded with silver bullets on you. Use it. Now."

The red-haired rookie shook her head vigorously. "I… I can't… I just can't do it! Run. Just- just run before I _can___bring myself to do it!"

The part of me that was still the same Turk knew I should have stayed. Hell, it wanted me to stay. But the animal within that was beginning to take hold had activated the 'fight or flight' response, and defenseless as I was, flight was my only option. My injuries were severe, that much was certain. I could feel them bleeding, aching with each city block I ran to. I would have left the city altogether, but I knew my strength would barely get me to the slums.

I… I couldn't run for much longer… I believe I made it to the Sector Five slums… The last thing I could recall was the broken wood flooring of an abandoned church sanctuary before I completely lost consciousness…


End file.
